A rebirth of my blog tracking my attempts to fulfill my new mission statement:-
1) life does not stop with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes
2) showing the benefits of exercise for a type 1 diabetic
3) how to go about it, managing training and diet based on my experiment of one
4) report back on my training progress and the occasional race I manage to compete in
5) share my travels around the globe having a great time in the name of work (yes, I like my job)

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Sunday, 16 February 2014

Insert Title Here

I can't think of one, so you might as well do it for me - suggestions on a postcard in best Radio 2 fashion please.

This time of year my full mental faculties, such as they are, are being spent on one of the busiest work periods of the year and then the other part goes into the mental fortitude to keep training though the darkest, dismal part of the year.

And this year has been more dismal, and more dark than usual. It's been a real struggle at times just to get that first foot out the door with the wind, rain and cold. February has to be my least favourite month of the year; having got over Christmas and the relaxation into January, you're into the cold and dark, with a long way to go to spring. While we've been flood free so far in the Fens thanks to pumps and well kept ditches, they're filling up, and the disaster area of the rest of the country doesn't look like going away soon.

So, what do I do? Make the most of the calm, clear days and get out when I can, revert back to the indoor trainers when it's really crappy outside. With no spring events to train for, this is my base building period and I'm not losing anything with cross training. That's given the rower and static bike a bit of use so far and I've also got myself a new 29"er MTB which has had a couple of good runs so far.

With this basebuilding period, the intent is that everything is done in an easy aerobic HR, in my case anything less than 148. This is the third year now that I've taken this approach, with a two month easy period after new year, then start training for an early summer race. One thing I've noticed, and it's the same again this year is that there comes a point at which things start to change. You go from trotting along at an easy pace and easy HR, to a sudden increase in pace that still feels easy but just kicks the HR up over the limit. I've just hit that point again with a 15s/km gain in pace from around 5:00-5:10/km to 4:45-4:55, but then struggling to keep the HR down. Another couple of weeks and the HR will catch up again.

The one thing that's not been hampering me too much is the diabetes, apart from the frustration of needing to eat where I never needed to in the past. Typically anything less than an hour really shouldn't need to take on any extra carbs at all, but depending how close to a meal I go, and how much insulin on board, I can really chew through the blood sugar quicker than the liver can replenish it. When a hypo is anything less than 3.5, seeing 2.9 on your meter midway through a run is a bit of a shock, especially with no symptoms because the exercise is masking it.

On the long stuff I've got my dose reduction worked out pretty well, but still playing around with the shorter stuff. Today, for instance, I beefed up my breakfast porridge from 30g carbs to 50g, but did a 35% dose reduction. I could still do more.

Blood glucose went from 5.1 before breakfast to 7.9 an hour later (not really high enough knowing I still have fast acting insulin on board). 5km into the run it was down to 3.9, far too low for another 7km. 7-10g carbs taken, and 5km later measured at 4.4, still a bit too low, so another 7-10g dose. 2km later up to 5.6 at the end of the run, but I'll expect that to have dropped by lunch as the glycogen replacement into the muscles takes place.

I'm making a bit of a new year's resolution here as well, once a month is really not enough here, I need to be getting this a bit more regular. I think 500 words a week should be easy enough really, and will be a good look back at progression as I pick up the workload a bit.

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About Me

From a schoolboy rugby player, turned referee, tried my hand at indoor rowing and now a club cyclist and runner trying to work out just how far I can push this aging body of mine. I'm not that tall, I'm fairly lightweight light, but I'm generally in the top 25-30% of the pack.
Trying to do my best to keep fit, have fun and be healthy, a particular challenge since 2013 with a diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes at 39 years old. Treading the fine line between trying everything and excelling at nothing.
This blog will be a mix of sporting endeavour, diabetes management, my travels around the world and anything else I think of at the time.